Articles

By Art Rothschild and Joel Dresang Given continued volatility in global stock markets, it is nice to know that bond investors have been able to benefit from ongoing interest payments and the relative stability that the bonds in their portfolio have provided this year.  When 2010 started, all eyes were on the stock market.  Given…

By Joel Dresang At 75 years old, the Social Security Act is drawing the speculation and foreboding that often accompany advanced age. President Barack Obama, marking the August birthday of the program, hailed Social Security as “a cornerstone in the foundation of America’s middle class.” He also contended that Republican leaders plan to “privatize” the…

By Kyle Tetting A  growing number of economists, including many with the Federal Reserve Board, are expressing concern over changing prices.  One of the primary roles of the Fed is to combat inflation, but of late there has been more concern over an even more dangerous threat to economic recovery: Deflation. Each month, the Bureau…

By Joel Dresang Approaching $1.5 trillion, the U.S. deficit is becoming a bigger target for government critics and investors who wonder what the federal budget imbalance means for their nest eggs. “I get that question by clients every day,” says Bob Landaas, president of Landaas & Company. “I try to answer that it’s mostly about…

While the Dow, S&P and the Nasdaq are most common, there is an index for just about every area of the stock and bond market.

By Joel Dresang The U.S. federal government reached a record budget deficit in 2009: $1.4 trillion –about one-tenth of the nation’s economic output for the year. No one can deny that’s a deep hole to climb out of. Even relative to the size of the economy, it’s the biggest deficit as far back as the…